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Support Collective Empowerment & Self Defense
At IMPACT Bay Area, we believe everyone deserves to feel safe, strong, and supported. And we believe safety grows when we build it together.
This winter, we’re asking our community to help us continue what we do best: offering empowering, trauma-informed self-defense programs for the people and communities who need them most. Every skill learned, every boundary set, and every moment of courage in class creates a ripple effect that strengthens our collective safety and belonging.
Over the past year, we have faced a season of change, including leadership transitions, limited resources, and rising needs across the Bay Area. At the same time, we have witnessed incredible resilience from our instructors, students, and volunteers. They continue to show up with courage and care. We’ve taught powerful skills, deepened partnerships, and made safety more accessible to hundreds of people.
Now we are turning to our wider community – to you – to help us move into 2026 with strength, unity, and hope.
Your Donation Helps Build Safer, Stronger Communities
Your support fuels the ripple effect of empowerment. With your gift, we can:
- Expand our public class offerings across the Bay Area
- Replenish our financial reserves so we can stay stable and responsive during the summer
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Onboard and sustain new leadership so we can move forward with clarity, capacity, and shared purpose
Every contribution helps nurture the systems of equity, belonging, and community safety that guide our mission.
Our Collective Impact So Far in 2025
Thanks to community support, we have already:
- Served 1100+ students with 280+ hours of instruction
- Offered all public classes on a sliding scale, with 60% of participants accessing free or reduced rates
- Granted 40+ scholarships to remove financial barriers
- Partnered with 29 organizations to teach 58 private classes
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Reached 17 cities, providing accessible instruction to diverse groups, including teens, LGBTQ+ students, and affinity communities
This is what community-powered safety looks like. Empowerment begins with one person and ripples outward to strengthen us all. And we’re just getting started.
Ready to Take Action?
💸 Make a One-Time Gift. Every dollar builds safety, belonging, and connection.
🔁 Become a Monthly Donor. Sustainable support helps us plan for the future with confidence.
🤝 Ask Your Employer About Matching Gifts. Many companies will double your donation.
Together, we can ensure more people have access to the tools they need to live boldly, safely, and with confidence.
Want to Uplift This Campaign?
📣 You can amplify the ripple effect. Share our social media posts, or create your own post or video about why IMPACT Bay Area matters to you. When you share your story, you help build a stronger, more connected community.
IMPACT Bay Area is a 501(c)3 non-profit (EIN: 94-3123451). Your contribution is tax-deductible. Every online donation will receive an email confirmation for their records
New! Credit card processing is available without a Paypal account
Prefer to donate by mail?
Include "donation" in the memo line and send to:
IMPACT Bay Area
PO Box 23831
Oakland, CA 94623We will be happy to prepare a paper or email acknowledgment of your donation upon request.
Employer Matching
Bay Area Corporations and Companies Offering Employer Matching Gifts
Many Bay Area employers offer donation matching, allowing your gift to make an even bigger impact. Contact your HR department for details.
IMPACT Bay Area’s EIN: 94-3123451
Mailing address: PO Box 23831, Oakland, CA 94623
Learn about more ways you can support IMPACT Bay Area!
Together, we create safety, belonging, and collective empowerment – one skill, one class, one community at a time.
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Rocio Molina donated 2024-11-20 15:51:32 -0800
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Join The Board
We are a great team, tasked with ensuring mission-alignment, staff engagement, and financial security at Impact Bay Area. We believe that many hands make light work. Why might you want to join us? Our reasons for joining the board are as unique as we are. We want to promote women’s wellness and mental health, we want to apply and expand our professional skills, we want to work with like-hearted people with diverse backgrounds to help IMPACT meet the needs of our community. Whatever your reason, you are welcome here.
What exactly does a board member do?
- Review and weigh-in on how to run Impact Bay Area. This ranges from financial review, to class offering decisions, to planning and executing on fundraising events that keep the org moving.
- Participate in board meetings. Hear from our ED on program updates and progress in executing on long-term strategy. Contribute ideas and questions to identify when strategic shifts are needed.
- Join one or more focus committees to dive deeper into target issues like financial planning, DEI initiatives, and fundraiser event planning
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Actively contribute to our annual board fundraising goal of $30k, via one or more of the following:
- Expansion of our donor network via outreach
- Fundraising event planning
- Reaching out and raising $3-5k annually, either through personal donation, your personal network, or by leveraging our strong IMPACT community and donor base
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Engage with the IMPACT program
- Take a class within 6 months of joining the board, our 1 hour Empowerment 101 counts!
- Attend an occasional public celebration! These events are 2-3 weekend hours at the closing of our classes, where students demonstrate their power.
Logistics
Board meetings are online, approximately every other month, and are currently Mondays 6-7:30pm
Committee meetings are online and may be monthly for 1 hour or bi-monthly, depending on the committee.
In-person board retreats are 2-3x per year (4 hours one weekend day)
Attend an occasional public celebration! These events are 2 weekend hours at the closing of our classes, where students demonstrate their power and new Impact skills.
Who to contact with interest: [email protected]
- Review and weigh-in on how to run Impact Bay Area. This ranges from financial review, to class offering decisions, to planning and executing on fundraising events that keep the org moving.
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Join IMPACT!
Join our Board!
We are a great team, tasked with ensuring mission-alignment, staff engagement, and financial security at Impact Bay Area. We believe that many hands make light work. Why might you want to join us? Our reasons for joining the board are as unique as we are. We want to promote women’s wellness and mental health, we want to apply and expand our professional skills, we want to work with like-hearted people with diverse backgrounds to help IMPACT meet the needs of our community. Whatever your reason, you are welcome here.
What exactly does a board member do?
- Review and weigh-in on how to run Impact Bay Area. This ranges from financial review, to class offering decisions, to planning and executing on fundraising events that keep the org moving.
- Participate in board meetings. Hear from our ED on program updates and progress in executing on long-term strategy. Contribute ideas and questions to identify when strategic shifts are needed.
- Join one or more focus committees to dive deeper into target issues like financial planning, DEI initiatives, and fundraiser event planning
-
Actively contribute to our annual board fundraising goal of $30k, via one or more of the following:
- Expansion of our donor network via outreach
- Fundraising event planning
- Reaching out and raising $3-5k annually, either through personal donation, your personal network, or by leveraging our strong IMPACT community and donor base
-
Engage with the IMPACT program
- Take a class within 6 months of joining the board, our 1 hour Empowerment 101 counts!
- Attend an occasional public celebration! These events are 2-3 weekend hours at the closing of our classes, where students demonstrate their power.
Logistics
Board meetings are online, approximately every other month, and are currently Mondays 6-7:30pm
Committee meetings are online and may be monthly for 1 hour or bi-monthly, depending on the committee.
In-person board retreats are 2-3x per year (4 hours one weekend day)
Attend an occasional public celebration! These events are 2 weekend hours at the closing of our classes, where students demonstrate their power and new Impact skills.
Who to contact with interest: [email protected]
- Review and weigh-in on how to run Impact Bay Area. This ranges from financial review, to class offering decisions, to planning and executing on fundraising events that keep the org moving.
Rocio Molina
Donate on behalf of Rocio Molina:
